Airlines continue good run in on-time performance

By
Roger Yu, USA TODAY
January 14, 2009, 3:33 PM ET
3 min read

— -- The U.S. airlines' on-time performance improved in November compared to the same month a year ago, but worsened slightly compared to October, according to government data released today.

The 19 carriers filing information reported an on-time rate of 83.3% in November, higher than November 2007's 80%, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. But the carriers could not top October 2008's 86%, which was the fourth highest monthly on-time rate since the DOT began keeping track of the data in 1995. A flight is counted as "on time" if it arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

Generally, the airlines report their best on-time performance in the fall, with passenger traffic easing as the busy summer season ends. And the airline industry has responded to the sluggish demand caused by the sour economy in 2008 by eliminating more seats and unprofitable routes. In November, the industry operated about 523,000 scheduled flights, down from 605,000 a year ago.

With fewer flights and more empty seats, U.S. carriers have been able to improve their on-time arrival rate steadily throughout the year. For the first 11 months of 2008, 77% of the flights operated by the industry arrived on time, better than the 74% for the comparable period in 2007.

The industry's cancellation rate also improved in November compared to 2007. U.S. carriers canceled 0.8% of their scheduled domestic flights, lower than 1% rate of November 2007. Again, the November cancellation rate was slightly worse than October, when the carriers called off 0.6% of their flights.

The DOT's report also includes data on lengthy tarmac delays. The industry reported eight flights that sat on the tarmac for three hours or longer before they departed or were diverted or canceled. ExpressJet, American Eagle and American Airlines each had two flights with such delays.

Among other findings:

•More delays attributed to weather. In November, the carriers attributed bad weather as the cause of 42% of their delays, up from 38% a year ago. In October, 34.5% of late flights were delayed by weather.

•Improved baggage handling. The U.S. carriers reported a mishandled baggage rate of 3.75 reports per 1,000 passengers in November, an improvement over November 2007's rate of 4.9 but worse than October 2008's 3.55.

•Fewer complaints. The DOT received 532 complaints about airline service from consumers, down from 810 in November 2007.

•Best and worst airlines. Among the major carriers, Southwest Airlines reported the highest on-time rate at 87.2%. Delta was the worst, with 77.4%.

•Best and worst airports. Flights at Salt Lake City International had the highest on-time arrival rate again, with 91% of flights arriving on time. The airport also reported the highest rate a year ago and in October 2008. Newark Liberty was the worst, with only 66% arriving on time.

•Worst flight. Among flights operated by the major carriers, Southwest Airlines flight 3091 from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, which was late 82% in November, was the most consistently delayed flight.